People’s United Bank is warning customers of a phishing scam that comes in the form of a text message telling customers their debit cards have been blocked and requesting their bank information.
According to an advisory posted to the bank’s Web site, the text messages read something like, “support.peoples-united-bank. Debit Card BLOCKED! Click to reactivate,” and include a fraudulent link to reactivate the card.
People’s United Bank says the link is malicious and urge customers not to follow it and to avoid providing any personal or bank information.
“These text messages are fake and should be deleted. People’s United Bank does not contact customers via email or text about blocked debit cards or for purposes of obtaining sensitive information such as PIN, passwords, account numbers, username, personal, or account information,” People’s United Bank said in the advisory.
Kaycee Baransky, of Hamden, received one of those fraudulent messages and followed the link. She immediately noticed something was off.
"The People's United Bank sign was distorted," Baransky explained.
But more concerning was the information it requested.
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"It asked me for my name, it asked me for my email address, it asked me for my social security number," she said.
She went to the Hamden branch and verified that the bank would not have used a text message to notify her of a problem with her account.
Baransky wants to spread the word and hopes others will be cautious.
Anyone who received a fraudulent text message and gave out any information should call the People’s Bank call center immediately at 1-800-894-0300.
The above image is an example of the phishing text messages People's United Bank customers have received. Photo courtesy of People's Bank.
